I'll Dedicate This Second Life of Mine to You
by Shuri
Summary: [KOU X NOBURU] After their deaths, Kou, Noburu and Jinrai were reincarnated and they meet each other again on earth.


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I'LL DEDICATE THIS SECOND LIFE OF MINE TO YOU  


Title: I'll Dedicate This Second Life of Mine to You  
Author: Tachida Shuri (kimichan05@edsamail.com.ph)  
Anime Series: Shin Hakkenden  
Rating: PG-13 or GP? I dunno... still...  
Genre: Romance.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Shin Hakkenden. Thank you. hehe  
Teaser: After their deaths, Kou, Noburu and Jinrai were reincarnated and they meet each other again on earth.

Noburu died. Right after she tries to defend Jinrai, whom she finally accepted as her brother, Noburu dies and left her powers and wishes to all the other jewel-holders. Kou died. Right after defeating Kai O-wari in a sword fight, good versus bad, Kou died and left the powers to the last jewel-holder, Ruty, who succeeded in defeating evil and restoring back Earth.   
  
Ruty, after the whole battle, met a dog. The dog looked familiar, he looked like Chuji. Even though the dog didn't speak, Ruty believed that it was the group's friend, Chuji, or also known as Chiyoji. She kept the dog, named him Chuji, and continued living her life as she hopes for the others to come back... soon...   
  
In the afterlife, Kou and the others hope for the same. Kou was one of the two who most wanted to get a new life, to be reincarnated, together with his own sword, Murasame, which his father gave him, he would continue to protect the weak from the evil. The other one was Noburu, even though she didn't have her revenge on Tamazusa, she could do nothing since she's gone. Noburu also wanted to have a new life with her brother, to live together happily.   
  
"Noburu," Kou started as he holds his jewel, "What's the use of hoping? I wouldn't even reincarnate whatever I do."   
  
"Don't think like that," Noburu replied shouting, "I just accepted Jinrai as my brother, and I want to live the rest of my life with him, but that darned Tamazusa in Kazusa form... killed us both. I wouldn't give up hope when I really want something!"   
  
"So, if you would reincarnate somehow, I'm going with you and Jinrai. It's kind of boring here," Kou continued the conversation.   
  
"Don't you have a better reason than that?" Noburu asked, "or maybe you just want to see Ruty again?"   
  
Kou blushed, as he didn't know that Noburu would think that he liked Ruty. Even though Kou considered Ruty as his friend, all the other guys as his friends, Rei as his second mother, Chuji and Noburu as his bestfriends, he felt as if Noburu seems to know him a lot since they first met, and now she thinks of Kou liking Ruty.   
  
"Hey! You think you can hide that blush?" Noburu asked with a mischievous smile, "So, you like Ruty! I thought so."   
  
"No, I don't!" Kou replied with anger as he stared at Noburu. He blushed more as Noburu also stares at him, joking around telling him, "Kou, you're guilty. I'm now as sure as ever, Kou likes Ruty!"   
  
The joke went for a whole week, and Noburu got tired of saying her frequent "Kou likes Ruty" line. Kou was at his own place at the clouds above, in deep thinking. Nobody knows for sure what he's been thinking about for the past few days, keeping silent and not even anything would break it.   
  
He thought, "Why should she make fun of me like that with Ruty, even though she seems to know how I feel?..." Kou stood up and decided to tell Noburu the truth which not even Chuji knows. But before he knew it, a beam of light came from under his feet until his whole body was glowing.   
  
"What... what's happening?!" Kou asked himself. Suddenly, the space Kou occupies become vacant. Nobody saw it, but the only Kou remembered was the red light shining all through out.   
  
Everything was dark. Kou didn't know what to do. A voice shouts, "Oh no! What happened? Let's help her!" "Right!" Kou was too weak to move, as he fell unconcious and saw nothing but darkness.   
  
After a few days, Kou woke up in a room. The room was cool, the temperature was fine, the surroundings weren't an eyesore. He looks around, but saw no people. A knocking sound bothers him, and a girl asks fromoutside the door, "Are you awake? May I come in?"   
  
"That voice! It's the same as..." Kou said, "Oh, ahem, yes!"   
  
"Hi! So you are awake. You seem to be a pretty nice girl..." the girl told Kou.   
  
"I'm a man!" Kou replied shouting as if becoming angry again, "Oh, sorry. I really don't like to be called a girl. I'm Kou, Yagami Kou."   
  
"Oh, I thought you were a girl. My brother Jin saved you because he thought you were one. Anyway, I'm Nobiko," she replied.   
  
Kou smiled and blushed at Nobiko. The girl handed Kou a sword with his jewel, "Is this yours?"   
  
"Murasame!! Wow! Thanks! How did you find this?" Kou asked.   
  
"Find? I just found it with you where you lie unconcious. It looks cool! I have a smaller one, it's just a knife with a pink shiny ball on it. Looks the same, do you think?"   
  
"Wha... that's her's..." Kou said as his eyes widen, seeing Noburu's knife with Nobiko, "This is confusing..." and Kou starts to feel dizzy.   
  
"You might not have recovered yet, I'll leave you alone for a while. You rest there!" Nobiko said and walked out of the room.   
  
Kou became startled. Again, he didn't know what to do or to say, he remained quiet even though he knew Nobiko was actually his bestfriend, Noburu. She should be Noburu. They both were reincarnated with Jinrai. Because her wish to live again with her brother was so strong, it must have been Noburu and Jinrai who saved him. And Kou, who has his own secret wishes, reincarnated too...   
  
The next day, Kou decided to go to Ruty's home for a visit. Before he knew it, the house where Nobiko lives was just a few blocks away from Ruty's. After walking a few meters, he sees an all grown up teenage Ruty.   
  
Ruty saw him, she turned to him and she looked as happy as when he saw Chuji. She shouted as she ran towards Kou, "Kou! Is that actually you? You've also come back with Chuji?!"   
  
"No," Kou replied back, "It's just not me. I think Noburu and Jinrai too, but they don't seem to know themselves since Noburu and Jinrai became Nobiko and Jin."   
  
"I see," Ruty said as her happy face turned sad, "Come in our home. Chuji's here!"   
  
"Thanks. I might need some answers to my questions," Kou said.   
  
Inside Ruty's home, Chuji happily attacked Kou by licking his face and wagging his tail around. Kou was so happy to see him again. And, as Kou had wanted, he asked Ruty about the reincarnation which Tamamiko made for them.   
  
"Tamamiko told me about it," Ruty said seriously, "Right after Jinrai and Noburu died, after you continued the last minutes of your lives, Tamamiko told me that she will reincarnate all of you who died. But those who wished to stay in the afterlife will stay."   
  
"So, that's it. I wanted everything on Earth to be peaceful, and so I reincarnated. Noburu and Jinrai wanted to continue living their lives together, and so they also reincarnated," Kou thought.   
  
And Kou left Ruty at her place and walked towards nowhere. Kou had nowhere to go until he walked into the deep forest. He got tired after all the walking and sleep by a tree.   
  
  
"Noburu!" Kou shouts as Noburu gets struck by Tamazusa. Kou cries his tears out and tried to hold Noburu in his arms. But Noburu dissolves in the air and her wishes were passed on.   
  
  
"Ack!!" Kou shouts in wake from his dream, "It's a dream? No, it already happened. This is a nightmare! I gotta tell Noburu and Jinrai!"   
  
Kou tries to run back to the town. But in the deep forest, he got lost. He continued searching for a way out. Because of all his worrying, he accidentally bumped into a tree and fell unconcious.   
  
Kou wakes up again. Unknown to him, he was saved again. Kou stands up from the bed and runs out of the house. It looked familliar but it seems like he only saw it once in his life.   
  
"Hey! What are you doing out?" Nobiko asked.   
  
"Nobiko?! So, you saved me again. Thank you very much," Kou said blushing.   
  
"It's not me. Jin saw you while he was hunting for food! Well, actually, I found you lying on the ground, again," Nobiko explained.   
  
"I... I want to ask you something," Kou said becoming serious in a sudden.   
  
"Huh? You wanna ask me?" Nobiko asked.   
  
"Yeah," Kou replied, "Are you... Noburu?"   
  
Nobiko's eyes widened in fear. The feeling of something weird got up to her stomach. Her heart was beating fast. She felt weak and fainted on Kou with tears from her eyes.   
  
"Nobiko! Nobiko! Are you ok?!" Kou shouted, trying to wake Nobiko up.   
  
"Nobiko!" Jin shouted running, "What did you do to my sister!"   
  
"I did nothing! I just asked her something then she fainted," Kou said.   
  
Jin brings Nobiko back into their home. Kou goes with him. After Jin left Nobiko's room, Kou watches over Nobiko for Jin.   
  
Kou thinks hard on his seat, "It should be Noburu. It's not like her to faint because of just a question. She looks like Noburu, even though she doesn't have a ponytail now... I know, Noburu, please tell me you're Noburu... Nobiko..."   
  
"Kou!" Nobiko shouts. "What are you doing sleeping here?!"   
  
"A! You don't understand! I was watching over you then I fell asleep! Believe me!" Kou defends himself.   
  
"Oh, ok," Nobiko said in a calmer voice, "About that name you asked me earlier... please don't say that name again. I have my own reason."   
  
"Sure," Kou replied, "She's actually a very good friend of mine. She already died with his brother, at the same time. I miss her so much but when I saw you, you reminded me of her so much that I thought you were actually she."   
  
"I see," Nobiko said, "So, let's go for dinner!"   
  
"I'll cook!" Kou said.   
  
The two were in the kitchen for about an hour until their dinner was done. Kou and Nobiko were both tired and rested in the kitchen. After a while, they fell asleep side by side. Jin came back from work. He was surprised to see the two together, sleeping sweetly, and Jin suddenly smelled something sweet.   
  
"Wow! My favorite food! Who cooked this?" Jin asked, waking Kou and Nobiko up.   
  
"Oh, we finished it together," Kou said blushing.   
  
"Yeah, and Kou's a nice chef!" Nobiko said smiling at Kou.   
  
After they ate dinner, Kou was allowed to stay in Jin and Nobiko's home. Kou slept with Jin at his room while Nobiko slept in her own. The next morning, Kou was gone and he left a letter on Nobiko's desk. It said:   
  
  
Nobiko and Jin,   
  
Thank you very much for your hospitality, for welcoming me into your home. Thank you also for saving me two times. I promise to take good care of myself so that I wouldn't look pathetic to be saved by someone else. But most especially, thank you, Nobiko for making me remember my very best friend. I'll now search for her and her brother. I forgot to tell you that they reincarnated like I did. I hope you'll still have Jin's favorite food in there. This short period of time of us being together will be treasured for life. Goodbye and I hope to see you again someday.   
  
Kou   
  
  
Only Nobiko was able to read the goodbye letter. Tears fell from her two eyes and she threw the letter in the fire. She hurriedly ran towards the exit to the town. Kou was about to get on the spaceship when Nobiko came running.   
  
"Kou! I'm so sorry. I didn't tell you the truth! I am..."   
  
"Noburu?" Kou asked Nobiko, "Is that actually you? Noburu?!"   
  
Nobiko, or now known as Kou's bestfriend Noburu, nodded and her tears dropped on her palm. Kou runs towards her and hugs her tightly in his arms.   
  
"Noburu!" Kou said, "I know it was you. My wish for reincarnating was actually to be with you, since you wanted to live again with Jinrai."   
  
"That was also my wish, in addition to living with my brother. We decided to change our names so that no one would recognize us. And also, I took off my ponytail because of the same reason."   
  
"I was thinking of that. All my thoughts were right. Now, I want to ask you, do you love me as I love you?"   
  
Noburu's eyes widened in fear. The feeling of something weird got up to her stomach. Her heart was beating fast. She felt weak and fainted on Kou with tears from her eyes.   
  
"Oh no, not again! Not this far from your home!" Kou shouted.   
  
Noburu opened her eyes. "I was just kidding!" she said, wiping her tears away, "I... well, after all we've been through, I also had the feeling that I loved you. Yes, I love you. But if you're leaving, I would still stay with my brother, I love him too."   
  
"I won't leave anymore," Kou said.   
  
Noburu felt so happy. Her eyes begin to wet themselves again. "I haven't been this happy in my life!"   
  
"Me too. I'll dedicate this second life of mine to you. I'll do everything to make you happy. I love you."   
  
"I love you, too..."   


Author's notes: Hehe… who would think… Kou and Noburu. HEY! I love the pair! Tough girls, tough mind... Red-head guys, Red-head... ok, I dunno. Ne! Comments!


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